It is known to make thin film wound dressings for use on post-operative wound sites comprising a thin polymeric film with an adhesive coating. Such a dressing is sold under the name OpSite™ by Smith and Nephew. Thin film dressings when used alone, are generally used on closed wounds with little or no exudate. These thin film dressings have achieved popularity in part because the dressings are capable of readily conforming to the shape of the body thus rendering them more comfortable to wear
For wounds producing some exudate, post-operative wound dressings may be of the type which comprise a thin polymeric film and a low adherency absorbent pad. Such a dressing is sold under the name OpSite Post-Op™ by Smith and Nephew. A disadvantage of such dressings is that the absorbent pad, although generally non-adherent, is not transparent meaning that the wound cannot be seen through the dressing. This is important as seeing the wound allows the nursing and surgical staff to check healing progression and assess whether the wound has become infected, or whether the dressing needs changing. In the past, with such dressings, it has only been possible to see the wound by removing the dressing. This risks skin damage and disturbance of the healing process. The absorbent pad also reduces greatly the flexibility of the dressing meaning that a post-operative dressing with an absorbent pad may be difficult to apply to certain areas of the body and may be uncomfortable to wear.
There is thus a need for a wound dressing suitable for use on post-operative wounds which is capable of absorbing exudate at the rate generally produced by such wounds but which allows the wound to be viewed with the dressing in place.